At Your Service

Furbearer Management

Regulated trapping is the key tool used by the NCWRC to proactively manage furbearer populations so that they are in balance with people, threatened and endangered species, and the available habitat. Advancements in trap design and trapping techniques have contributed to the improvement in the welfare of the captured animal. In fact, the modern traps used by today’s trappers are the same traps used by biologists to study wildlife. For example, foothold traps were used to capture river otters for restoration efforts in North Carolina.

Funding for furbearer management comes from hunting and trapping license revenues and the federal excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment. Most furbearer management is not funded with general tax dollars, yet furbearer management benefits all citizens.